Records of Rebirth

I was covered in my shadows, so I didn't panic immediately, but what if it thought a single spot of shadow in the midst of forest was unusual and alerted the others? 

Or worse, if it had seen the conspicuous pink and green brat?

I decided not to risk being targeted by a group of scorpions and was about to leave the tree when Sensei offered some useful information. «The eyes above its head have very poor sight. They can't see you from far away.»

And true to what he said, the large scorpion continued until it met up with the other two, and an even larger gathering formed around my cave.

This wasn't going well – how could they be so many?

I expected thirty smaller scorpions at most – but now I was dealing with more than sixty plus, not including the three large ones that were moving in tow.

Although my plan was working, I kept feeling it could backfire at any time.

Since they had come from opposite ends of the trail, following Typhon's trail was no longer an option, and both the groups joined up to form a single large stream as they picked up the faint trail and followed it, deeper into the forest.

And I felt my heart settle down and let out a huge sigh of relief as the mass horde around my cave began to thin out. 

However, when I asked Morgana if the scorpion they fought was among the three, she shook her head, which made me slightly worried. 

It was the only one who had seen my snakes and knew of my snake's involvement. I wished it was present now to realize the apes were partly responsible, to absolve my nestlings of some of the blame.

Nevertheless, the scorpion march continued across multiple stretches of land, and I kept up with them, until they reached a dewy forest with mossy ground and plenty of rocky boulders scattered through the trees. 

The ground tilted at an angle, seemingly going downhill until the scorpions reached a series of rock caves embedded inside a high stone wall. The mossy ground gave way as we moved closer into a valley of bones, those of creatures and otherwise in the remnants of a mass grave.

There was one massive cave entrance in the centre, with a huge tree growing high above it, leaving tendrils of roots and moss to drape over the opening. It was simply gigantic, and I couldn't help staring at the large tree.

But as the scorpions approached it , the ape creatures inside the caves all rushed out to meet them and my attention was fixed on the valley of bones. 

The ape creatures were seemingly annoyed at their trespassing and the air was filled with their enraged howls, while the scorpion creatures simply attacked without hesitation. 

It sparked the beginning of the chaotic fight, with the creatures swarming each other in a mad rush while I observed the battle from a distance, counting the numbers of each.

The white apes were fewer, numbering in thirties and they were quickly beaten back. Despite the apes fighting valiantly, their numbers were simply no match for the scorpion army.

A single sting from one of the larger scorpions was enough to kill an ape instantly, and while the smaller ones took a longer time, there were so many that the apes would eventually slow down after suffering numerous stings. 

Leaving them incapable of fighting back, until one of the larger scorpions stung them, or tore off their limbs with their fearsome pincers.

Although it felt wrong, I was relieved to see them tearing into each other.

Now that the two groups of monsters collided head to head, it didn't matter who won.

From this day onwards, the two creatures would see the other as an enemy and would continue to attack each other until one side was wiped out.

Which meant they would be too busy to come find trouble with me and my nestlings.

Morgana, who was watching from my back, couldn't stop wriggling excitedly and I couldn't keep my eyes off the grisly battle either.

However, the slaughter was becoming too much to watch.

The apes were losing badly against the scorpion horde. And while the apes y were strong, the scorpion creatures were simply too many for them to handle. 

I already guessed they had very little [Poison Resistance] based on the one in my cave, but after so many fell so quickly, my guess was confirmed.

The ape's crowning achievement was in killing one of the large scorpions, but it was at the expense of so many of their own deaths. And soon, there were less than ten ape's left, with two of the large scorpions still alive and more than twenty of the smaller ones still moving around. 

I sighed,  it was just a matter of time before the remaining apes were killed off. 

Then I heard a loud roar come out from deep inside the central cave.

A deep guttural sound that made the ground tremble and caused the large scorpions to stop in their tracks. 

A looming shadow burst out of the cave, in the form of a colossal version of the ape creatures. It had tough wiry fur that almost stood on end, a battle ridden body with numerous long scrapes and old wounds spread across its body.

Its enraged red face was a picture of terror that stood twice as tall as one the large scorpions and it rushed out to attack, filling the valley of bones with an overwhelming aura of death. 

It rose high in the air and threw a mighty punch, destroying the shells of the two large scorpions, leaving large dents in their carapace, that killed both almost instantly.

The smaller scorpions saw its strength and they all scattered in fear like ants, fleeing through the valley of bones in a desperate bid to escape. But the huge monster quickly finished off the big scorpions and turned its attention towards the smaller ones.

It simply stomped the closer ones to death and flung large boulders at the others to impede their escape. 

What the heck?!

I was stunned. How could the tables flip so easily?

But then, I nearly squealed as the fleeing scorpions sped through the forest in my direction, and brought the terrorizing giant ape behind them. 

The trees groaned and twisted as the ape swung from one tree to the other, with a raging growl and crushed every scorpion it could find.

I knew it was time to go.

I told the terrified fae and the thunderstuck Morgana to hold tight and opened my wings before taking high into the mist, hoping the massive ape did not detect my presence.

I was so glad I stayed far away. 

The last thing I heard as I flew past the area was a huge crash as yet another tree fell to the ground, in the wake of the creature's prowess and its fierce roar that echoed throughout the valley.